01
Count the full trip
The AVMA identifies a practice's costs as one basis for setting fees. Build your own picture of what a visit uses; the items below are prompts, not a prescribed formula.
- Clinician and support-team time for driving, care, setup, and follow-up.
- Vehicle use, including fuel, maintenance, insurance, depreciation, parking, or tolls where relevant.
- Mobile supplies, equipment upkeep, replenishment, and cleaning.
- Scheduling, payment processing, communication, and other trip-related administration.
02
Choose a structure you can explain
A historical IVIS survey records several approaches used by respondents. Treat them as examples of structure, not as current price benchmarks.
- Flat or minimum trip fee: define the area and what the minimum covers.
- Mileage-based fee: state how distance is measured and whether the calculation is round trip.
- Travel-time-based fee: explain how travel time is estimated or recorded.
- A base fee with a clear distance or time adjustment outside a core area.
03
Map the service area
Write down where the practice starts each trip and how the service boundary works in daily scheduling.
- Choose a dispatch point and define the miles or travel time included in the base area.
- If you use zones, name the boundary and the fee rule for each zone in plain language.
- Decide how you handle round-trip distance, traffic, ferry or toll costs, and clustered appointments.
- Set a point where a trip is outside your service area or needs an individual quote.
04
Set the visit boundaries
Make it easy for clients to see what the house-call amount covers before they book.
- Say whether travel is separate from or included in the examination and procedure fees.
- Define how additional pets, extended visits, urgent calls, evenings, or weekends are handled.
- State your scheduling, cancellation, and rescheduling terms before confirming the visit.
- Check that separate line items do not charge twice for the same part of the service.
05
Check fit using your own local conditions
The AVMA notes that national averages may differ from local conditions and says practices should set fees using their own costs and independent evaluation of demand, service quality, and local market conditions.
- Use your own records and observations to understand the service and client demand you can support.
- Review local conditions independently; do not coordinate proposed fees with other veterinary practices.
- If you have questions about competition or antitrust rules, seek advice from qualified counsel.
06
Review after real trips
Set a review date and compare the schedule you published with what your own operations show.
- Track trip distance and time, care time, direct expenses, and schedule delays.
- Note client questions, declined bookings, and where the written terms caused confusion.
- Revisit the service area, structure, and wording when your own costs or operating model change.
07
Write down your working choices
Use these prompts in the printable guide or in your own practice-planning notes.
- My base service area and dispatch point
- The travel time or distance included
- The fee structure I will explain to clients
- What the trip fee includes and excludes
- Exceptions, urgent visits, and cancellation terms
- My next review date